The way Jim tells it, they had a few days left on their 1969 American tour. Back then the union would let you get a performing permit or a recording permit, but not both. They wanted to record in Memphis, but would have been instantly recognized and pandemonium would have ensued. Not to mention that they were violating union rules. So, Where to go? How about Muscle Shoals, Alabama?. Nobody would recognize them down there. So Dickinson was called by Stanley Booth to come down and play on the session.
Great story.

You know, the thing many people never knew or just never will know is the Stones were always about the groove, but you had to know how to find it. It's there in those recordings and it was total perfection, just play the first track from the Exile on Main Street LP or CD for example.

Back in the 70's, I was talking to Sam Phillips about recording. He told me the story about John Prine coming into Phillips studio to record. They were working on the song "Saigon" . They called Sam at home and asked for his help as they just couldn't get it right. His son Knox was producing/engineering. So Sam shows up at the studio and has a listen. He then turned to Prine and asked, "do you know what half speed is? Well...play it half of that !""